Sai Sudharsan and Gerald Coetzee display stunning teamwork to end Jonny Bairstow’s carnage in GT vs MI IPL 2025 Eliminator match [Watch]
Gujarat Titans' B Sai Sudharsan and Gerald Coetzee showcased stunning teamwork to give their side the first breakthrough in the high-stakes IPL 2025 Eliminator against the Mumbai Indians. The match is being played in Mullanpur on Friday. Sudharsan dove at the right time to deflect the ball to Coetzee as the Titans managed to get rid of the dangerous Jonny Bairstow.
The dismissal occurred in the eighth over of the innings and the second ball bowled by left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore. With Bairstow playing a reverse sweep, he failed to get past the backward point fielder. Sudharsan stuck his one hand out to intercept the ball, and it eventually ricocheted to Coetzee, who took a simple catch.
Watch the video here:
Bairstow, who had replaced Ryan Rickelton at the top of the order, dominated the 80-run opening partnership with Rohit Sharma. He notably launched Prasidh Krishna's second over for two fours and as many sixes. However, the Yorkshire batter was deprived of a well-deserved half-century and walked back for 47 off 22 balls.
Gerald Coetzee had dropped a catch off Rohit Sharma in the second over of the innings
The Proteas speedster had dropped an easy catch off Rohit's bat in the very second innings of the over when the latter had top-edged one to fine leg. Hence, taking the catch to dismiss Bairstow would have been a relief to him.
The toss earlier in the night went Mumbai Indians' way, and Hardik Pandya opted to bat first, citing the lack of grass on the surface. The five-time champions announced three changes to their XI, bringing in Bairstow, Richard Gleeson, and Raj Angad Bawa for Rickelton, Will Jacks, and Deepak Chahar.
The Titans, meanwhile, had triggered two changes, drafting in Kusal Mendis and Washington Sundar for Jos Buttler and Arshad Khan, respectively. The winner of the contest between Mumbai and Gujarat will face Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 on June 1 in Ahmedabad.